Rex Tillerson out as Secretary of State, to be replaced by CIA chief Pompeo

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Donald Trump on Tuesday replaced his top diplomat Rex Tillerson and named current CIA chief Mike Pompeo to succeed him, ending a rocky tenure by the Texas oilman who had been sidelined on the world stage by the mercurial president.

The outgoing secretary of state, who returned before dawn from a trip to Africa, did not speak to the president before his sacking was announced and was unaware of the reason for his sudden downfall, according to a top aide.

A senior White House official said the president wanted to reshuffle his team with a view to launching talks with North Korea, following last week’s spectacular announcement of a meeting between Trump and Kim Jong Un.

"Mike Pompeo, Director of the CIA, will become our new Secretary of State. He will do a fantastic job!" Trump tweeted. "Thank you to Rex Tillerson for his service!" he added.

Trump had scant words of praise for Tillerson, who had long been rumored to be about to be pushed out.

“A great deal has been accomplished over the last fourteen months, and I wish him and his family well,” Trump said, thanking Tillerson “for his service.”

But addressing reporters before leaving on a trip to California, Trump spoke openly of his disagreements with the former Exxon chief—including over the Iran nuclear deal—as he explained his decision to replace him.

“We got along actually quite well but we disagreed on things,” Trump said. “When you look at the Iran deal, I thought it was terrible, he thought it was okay. I wanted to either break it or do something, he felt a little differently. So we were not really thinking the same.”

In announcing Tillerson’s removal earlier Tuesday, Trump lavished praise on Pompeo, a former US army officer and congressman who led the CIA for nearly 14 months, saying he would do a “fantastic job!”

“He will continue our program of restoring America’s standing in the world, strengthening our alliances, confronting our adversaries, and seeking the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula,” Trump added, calling him “the right person for the job at this critical juncture.”

Trump called for Pompeo to be swiftly confirmed in the role—as his administration heads into the high-stakes talks.

To succeed Pompeo, the US president nominated Gina Haspel, a controversial career intelligence officer, to head the Central Intelligence Agency—the first woman tapped for the post.

Haspel has been reported to have overseen a CIA “black site” in Thailand where Al-Qaeda suspect Abu Zubaydah was waterboarded after the 9/11 attacks.

The reshuffle comes days after the spectacular announcement of a meeting between Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, whose date and details have yet to be determined.